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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29425086">soliloquies to the universe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoVeryAverageMe/pseuds/SoVeryAverageMe'>SoVeryAverageMe</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Chocolate Box Treat, Conversations, Families of Choice, Family Fluff, Gen, Good Parent Ray Molina, Mostly POV Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), N Things, Reggie Peters-centric (Julie and The Phantoms)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:07:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,501</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29425086</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoVeryAverageMe/pseuds/SoVeryAverageMe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <i>Reggie stopped playing the second he heard the door to the garage start to open. Julie and Flynn always called out before entering, while the boys didn’t really have the need to use doors anymore on the account of being dead.</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>“Hey Ray!” he chirped, when the man popped his head in, a curious look on his face. Ray went to the CD player, pressing a few buttons before shaking his head. “Oh! I didn’t realize how loud I was playing. That must have been weird to hear. I promise that your place isn’t haunted.” </i>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>(Or, 5 times that Reggie has a one-sided conversation with Ray, and one time that Ray has a one-sided conversation with Reggie).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ray Molina &amp; Reggie Peters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>162</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Chocolate Box - Round 6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>soliloquies to the universe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Black_Dwarf/gifts">Black_Dwarf</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I knew I had to write a <i>Julie and the Phantoms</i> treat for Chocobox, but (as is tradition) I waited until the very last-minute to complete it. I absolutely adore Reggie &amp; Ray's familial relationship in the show and will write about it every single chance I get. </p>
<p>I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>1: Music </em>
</p>
<p>Reggie stopped playing the second he heard the door to the garage start to open. Julie and Flynn always called out before entering, while the boys didn’t really have the need to use doors anymore on the account of being dead.</p>
<p>“Hey Ray!” he chirped, when the man popped his head in, a curious look on his face. Ray went to the CD player, pressing a few buttons before shaking his head. “Oh! I didn’t realize how loud I was playing. That must have been weird to hear. I promise that your place isn’t haunted.”</p>
<p>His bass was still sitting loosely in his lap. He thought about putting it down, but he didn’t want it to randomly appear in front of Ray. They were all still trying to figure out exactly how their ghostly possessions worked. Alex had asked Willie, but even he didn’t have the answer, especially since their instruments were integral to being able to be seen when playing with Julie.</p>
<p>“Well…” Reggie shook his head and looked down at his lap, “I guess your house kind of <em>is</em> haunted. But we’re totally non-malevolent, so it doesn’t really count.” He tightened his grip, resisting the urge to play a random riff. “I guess it’d still be a bit spooky, though.”</p>
<p>When he looked up again, he saw Ray gently caressing the top of the piano. His eyes wandered back to his lap, not wanting to intrude on the intimate moment. “I’m glad that your wife kept making music in this place.”</p>
<p>After circling the piano, Ray pulled out the bench and sat down. He made no move to play, seemingly just taking in the space.</p>
<p>“I loved every second I got to play with the guys,” Reggie said, reverently tracing the neck of his guitar. “Even with how it all ended, I wouldn’t have traded a second of the time we spent making music here.”</p>
<p>Ray didn’t move from the bench, where he was reading the sheet music that had been left out.</p>
<p>“I know she didn’t start playing music because of us, but it feels like she carried on our legacy.” Reggie took a deep breath and paused, unsure if he should continue. “I hope you don’t find this disrespectful, but now it kind of feels like we get to carry on hers.”  </p>
<p>He tapped the body of the bass a few times, letting the silence fall over them.</p>
<p>“Thanks for listening to me,” Reggie said, feeling like he had overstayed his welcome. “I’ll try not to play as loud when you’re home alone. I don’t want distract you.”</p>
<p>With one last glance at Ray, he gripped his bass tight and teleported away to let the man have a moment alone.</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>2: Food</em>
</p>
<p>Reggie shivered as his body passed through the front door of Julie’s house. He didn’t know if he’d ever get used to walking through walls.</p>
<p>Ray was humming in the kitchen, and he couldn’t help but smile when he realized it was the closing song from the most recent <em>Julie and the Phantoms</em> gig. Flynn had booked the band to perform at a small local arts festival. Ray drove over an hour to get to their performance immediately after photographing a museum exhibit that opened across town.</p>
<p>Hopping onto the counter, he watched while Ray stirred pot of sauce on the stovetop. “You know, Ray, I never realized how much I’d miss food.”</p>
<p>Of course, he got no answer in response, since Ray was unable to hear him. Unphased, Reggie continued on, “I know it’s kind of morbid, considering how we died, but I’d do anything for a good street dog.”</p>
<p>He pulled his feet up onto the counter, crossing them so he could lean on his elbows. One of the advantages of not being corporeal, was that you couldn’t get anything dirty. “I mean, I don’t want one from the back of a car again. Obviously, that didn’t end well, but one of the over-priced dogs from the carts that frequent tourist hotspots would definitely hit the spot right now.”</p>
<p>The one-sided conversation continued until Reggie heard Carlos coming through the door. He slid off the counter, wincing as he landed a bit hard on his ankle, before moving to phase through the wall. “I better go now. I don’t want to get in the way of Carlos’ afterschool snack. He always acts like he’s half-starved.”</p>
<p>Reggie popped his head back through the door, bright smile on his face, “Thanks for listening, Ray!”</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>3: Home (1995)</em>
</p>
<p>The next time he found Ray, he was working on his laptop on the dining room table. It was only the two of them home, with Carlos at baseball practice, Julie and Luke scoping out a venue, and Alex on a “not-date” with Willie. Someone had forgotten to push in their chair after breakfast, so Reggie was able to sit down without giving himself away. Cushioning his head in his arms, he looked up at Ray, who was editing photographs from his latest shoot.</p>
<p>“I went to the beach today,” Reggie said. His lips turned up in a slight smile before sighing, “Well, actually I went to visit my old house… or what’s left of it.”</p>
<p>Reggie jolted upright when Ray paused his typing and looked almost directly at him. “Ray?”</p>
<p>The other man didn’t respond, instead taking a sip of his coffee before returning to work.</p>
<p>“Phew.” Reggie shook his head and settled back down, “You scared me there. I almost thought that seeing ghosts might be a hereditary.”</p>
<p>He let the two of them fall back into a comfortable silence, before picking back up his story. “I visited my old home once before, back when Luke, Alex, and I were still trying to figure out this whole ghost thing. It was hard to believe we really died, but it was almost harder to realize how much everything had changed.”</p>
<p>Reggie sat up and leaned back in the chair, careful not to tilt it backwards. “My house is a bike shack now. Like, people don’t even live there anymore; it’s just a tourist trap.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We stayed the same, but the world went on.”</p>
<p>While Ray continued to work, Reggie filled the time telling stories of what his neighborhood used to be like before the corporatization of the beachfront.</p>
<p>“There was nothing like falling asleep to the sound of the ocean,” he said, finishing up.  </p>
<p>Ray closed his laptop, getting up to stretch and Reggie followed his lead. “Anyways, thanks for listening,” Reggie said, while Ray packed up his things to go to a client meeting. “Somehow it always makes me feel better to talk to you.”</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>4: The Peters Family</em>
</p>
<p>A couple weeks later, he joined Ray in the living room to watch the morning news. Everyone else was still asleep, but Reggie had always been an early riser. “Good morning, Ray! I see you’re already working your way through your first cup of coffee. I didn’t really drink caffeine when I was alive, it always made me too hyper.”</p>
<p>He waited until the meteorologist launched into the upcoming forecast to broach the topic that had been weighing on his mind. “Do you mind if I talk to you for a bit?”</p>
<p>If Ray noticed the way the couch compressed under Reggie’s weight, he didn’t mention it. Of course, there isn’t an answer to Reggie’s unheard question, but he continued anyways, needing to get his thoughts off his chest.</p>
<p>“Julie offered to help Alex and I track down our parents.” He slouched down, throwing his head back against the cushion. “I think Alex will take her up on the offer. Even with everything that happened between them, the anxiety of <em>not</em> knowing will triumph over any doubts he has.”</p>
<p>Reggie paused as Ray got up to make himself a second cup of coffee. His mind was whirring in a million different directions, barely able to concentrate on the newscasters talk about the opening of new dog shelter.</p>
<p>“I don’t know if I want to know what happened to my family,” he said when Ray returned. “Did my parents finally divorce? Did they move on after I died? How do they remember me? There are no good answers to these questions.”</p>
<p>The news program moved on to the traffic report.</p>
<p>“I just don’t know. Maybe it makes me a terrible person, but I don’t think I’m ready yet.” Reggie shrugged and shook his head. “It feels like I just got the hang of being dead. Why should I throw another wrench in that?”</p>
<p>He fell silent, the emotional exhaustion already making itself known.</p>
<p>Barely audible over the newscast, he could hear Julie’s alarm clock go off and knew that the boys would wonder where he was when they woke up. Reggie stretched his arms above his head, pulling himself off the couch. “I should get going.”</p>
<p>He subconsciously reached out to pat Ray’s shoulder, forgetting that his hand would pass through him. “Thanks for listening, Ray. I know you can’t hear me, but you really helped me organize my thoughts.”</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>5: The Molina Family</em>
</p>
<p>Reggie didn’t realize he was running late until he saw Ray headed toward his car. Julie and Luke were already at the school preparing for the Battle of the Bands contest, while Alex was going to the skate park with Willie before meeting them there. Reggie had spent the morning fitting in some last-minute practice, but he had lost track of time.</p>
<p>“You mind if I catch a ride with you?” he asked, hustling toward the car. He left his bass in the garage, knowing he could summon it when they popped into existence. “I call shotgun!”</p>
<p>Reggie slipped into the front seat, not bothering to buckle his seatbelt. It wasn’t as if they could die twice; Caleb’s ghost-powers notwithstanding. Ray turned on the radio as soon as they pulled out of the driveway. “The country music channel? You’ve got taste,” Reggie said, settling back in his seat to enjoy the ride.</p>
<p>When they’re stopped at a red light, Reggie peered at Ray in his periphery vision. “Julie’s been great, you know. With the band and writing music and the whole ghost thing.” He drummed his fingers on his knee, tapping out the melody to one of the songs they were working on. “I’m starting to think of her as family, the sister that I never had.”</p>
<p>Ray, as usual, didn’t respond.</p>
<p>“I’ve also been hanging out with Carlos, since he confronted Julie about knowing the truth about the band.” He bopped his head in time with the music. “We’ve been playing a lot of video games and stuff. I hope you don’t mind,” Reggie said. “But it’s kind of great having a little brother. Plus, he’s been trying to teach us about the present day.”  </p>
<p>At the next light, Ray changed the radio station. A few seconds later, the audio from one of their shows played through the car speakers, and he tapped the steering wheel to the beat of their song. An infectious smile took over Reggie’s face. “For so long, it was just Luke and Alex and Bobby and Me. And then afterwards, it was just the three of us. It feels good to have other people believe in our music again.”</p>
<p>Reggie braced himself against the door as someone swerved in front of them. “Nice to know that Los Angeles drivers haven’t changed, though.”</p>
<p>They pulled into the school parking lot a few minutes later. Reggie phased through the door, while Ray went to unpack some photography equipment from the trunk. “I better go find the rest of the band before they start freaking out. Thanks for listening to me, Ray.”</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>+1: Home (2020)</em>
</p>
<p>It hadn’t taken long for Ray to figure out how to identify each of the boys without being able to see or hear them after he knew of their existence.</p>
<p>Alex was always tapping out a beat with his drumsticks, partly to let them know he was there, but also because it was a subconscious habit. If you saw floating pencils or notebooks, it was Luke trying to jot down bits and pieces of lyrics before he forgot. And Reggie, well, Reggie was quiet. He communicated via the cheap whiteboards that Ray had immediately bought in bulk after finding out the truth, but he rarely did anything else to give away his presence.</p>
<p>The Reggie who responded to his questions with scribbled one-word answers and quick goodbyes didn’t align with the one that he saw on stage nor the one who Carlos and Julie told stories about. Clearly, there was something about Ray that made Reggie nervous.</p>
<p>From the kitchen, he could see that the light in the garage was on. He knew that Alex had gone with Carlos to his baseball practice, while Julie and Luke were at Flynn’s place setting up social media accounts for the band. That only left Reggie.</p>
<p>Ray knocked on the garage door to announce his presence, before opening the door. “Hey Reggie. I just wanted to stop by and see how you’re doing.”</p>
<p>The pillows on the couch shifted a bit. It was a movement that he wouldn’t have noticed before knowing about the phantoms, but now he turned toward it, making sure to keep his body language relaxed.</p>
<p>“You’re not in trouble or anything,” he said, shaking his head. “I just wanted to make sure everything was alright between us. You just seem like you’re a bit quieter around me than the others.”</p>
<p>Ray leaned against the wall, letting his eyes drift across the length of the couch, unsure of Reggie’s exact location. “And maybe that’s just how you’re like with adults, but I want you to be comfortable here. It’s your home too.”</p>
<p>“Anyways, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.” He looked around the room for any sign of Reggie. “And if you boys want to practice playing, even without Julie here, that’s fine,” he said, eyes lingering on the piano. “You can hear it from the kitchen, and I had forgotten how much I loved hearing the music drift in through the windows.”</p>
<p>“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to make you feel more at home.” Ray paused, as if waiting for an answer even though there was no way that he could know the boy’s response without Julie there to translate.</p>
<p>“I’m glad you boys are here. Not just because of what you did for Julie, but for what you’ve done for all of us,” Ray said, scanning the room one last time. “Thanks for listening, Reggie.”</p>
<p>Ray left the garage, not knowing if Reggie had even stayed for the entire conversation. He could have easily teleported away without saying anything.</p>
<p>On the way back to the house, Ray heard the steady strum of a bass guitar for the first time since finding out the truth about the phantoms.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a sidenote: You should definitely wear a seatbelt while riding in a car. (Unless you're a ghost, in which case, you do you, I guess). </p>
<p>Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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